Trending Now: Beautiful Pools To Beat The Summer Blues

Visions of lounging by shimmering water have people saving these pools to their ideabooks, perhaps thinking, one day ...

Erin Carlyle11 May 2017

Former Houzz Editorial Staff. Writing about the cost of renovation and what it takes to remodel. Former Forbes real estate reporter. Fascinated by cool homes, watching the bottom line.

You know what’s great about a photo of a pool? Imagining spending a lazy day next to it, with a great book and a beverage. Home pools like these aren’t on everyone’s list because of their cost, space requirements and maintenance. But the thought of them is still pretty appealing.

The following 15 photos are the most popular pool images uploaded to Houzz from January through March of this year, counting down to No. 1, as measured by the number of people who saved the pictures to their ideabooks. Each reflects an ideal setting for whiling away a sunny afternoon, passing a romantic evening or just dreaming.

Mark Weinberg Photography

15. A couple of kids splash around the pool in the backyard of this private residence in Utah County, Utah, an ideal spot for family relaxing. The bar spot and fire pit may please older members of the crew.

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User

14. This pool, tucked behind a substantial Boston home, is surrounded by elegant landscaping. Lanterns near the lounge chairs and lighting set into the steps make this a suitable resting spot even as the sun goes down.

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ROCHE+ROCHE Landscape Architecture

13. This pool overlooks a vista of Sonoma, California, which is home to many of California’s finest vineyards. The umbrellas are a definite necessity — look at that bright blue sky, without a cloud in sight.

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Tim Barber Architects

12. This charming pool becomes a shaded backyard retreat thanks to the nearby outbuilding, with its lounge chairs and outdoor fireplace. The home lies in the San Francisco Bay Area, but its influences are decidedly Southern.

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Western Exposure Photography and Marketing

11. The best thing about this pool just might be its sunset views of the coast in Newport Beach, California. From this angle, that infinity pool looks as if it goes off a cliff and tumbles into eternity.

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Madeleine Blanchfield Architects

10. The pool and accompanying resting spots in this Sydney home form a Zen-like relaxation zone. All you need is sunblock and a favourite novel.

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Robert Reed Associates, Inc.

9. This pool in Portland, Maine, is oriented to take advantage of the coastal view. No need to walk down to the sea if you’d rather stay safely enclosed in a temperature-controlled pool.

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Signature Pools Inc.

8. Lush tropical foliage surrounds this pool in Orlando, Florida. And it has another special feature: Lounge chairs actually set in the water. Given Florida’s climate, you can imagine why you might not want to stray too far from the water.

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The Luxury Level

7. Red and blue, coupled with the block shapes of the pool and the home behind it, create a Mondrian-like feeling for this backyard in the Los Feliz neighbourhood of Los Angeles.

Craig Reynolds Landscape Architecture

6. This home in Key West, Florida, was once used as a setting in a James Bond flick, according to the landscape architect for the project. Charmingly, the home is dubbed License to Chill. Sounds about right.

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Goggans Residential Architecture

5. A modern home in Greenville, South Carolina, features a dramatic pool house with a cantilevered overhang that provides shade. The wood paneling you can see just inside the pool house is actually an outdoor shower.

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ArchitecTor, PC

4. A canyon retreat in Phoenix offers serenity courtesy streams of water pouring into the nearby pool. There’s nothing like a waterfall sound to soothe the mind.

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Creative Design Landscaping

3. A manicured lawn and symmetrical pavers bring a traditional feel to this backyard oasis.

ROCHE+ROCHE Landscape Architecture

2. A Mediterranean retreat in Sonoma, California, affords a restful pool scene. The colours and textures in the garden channel a romantic mood, and the vineyards beyond add to that vibe.

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Zoske Construction

1. This shot of a home in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, was the most popular pool photo uploaded to Houzz during the first three months of 2017. With its rock-like shapes, the pool emulates a natural spring or lagoon, while the hot tub in the foreground is a decidedly modern way to warm up on a cool evening. Whichever you choose, the mountain views are breathtaking.

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Read more:
6 Ways to Make the Most of Your Swimming Pool
5 Indoor Pools That Lap Up All the Attention

Tell us:
Out of the 15 photographs, which is your favourite pool and why? Tell us in the Comments below.